Each year The Perth Mint of Australia issues new releases in their annual Australian Lunar Series II program. The designs change based on the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac, and recently the Mint unveiled their 2013 Year of the Snake Gold Bullion Coins.
2013 is the Year of the Snake, and appropriately, the artwork on the sixth animal of the zodiac depicts a snake that is curled among some grass and bamboo shoots. Beside it is the Chinese character for ‘snake’ and The Perth Mint’s "P" mint mark. "Year of the Snake" appears along the bottom of the design.
On the obverse of the coin is the traditional Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Inscriptions include, "2013" and the face value of the coin just as it is for all legal tender under the Australian Currency Act of 1965. There are nine different denominations since the gold bullion coins are offered in nine different sizes.
Each coin is struck in 99.99% pure gold in sizes that range from 10 kilos down to 1/20 of an ounce. Seven of the coins will be minted for demand, but The Perth Mint is limiting the popular one ounce size to 30,000 and the one kilo coins to 100.
Besides the unique annual design and the fact that the coins are part of a collection that started back in 2008 for the Australian Lunar Series II, investors, collectors, and gift-givers may be more interested in these coins if they or someone they know was born in the Year of the Snake.
Year of the Snake consists of more than year 2013, it is also for those born in 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, and 2001. Anyone born in these years are said to have intelligence, gracefulness, independence and charm.
2013 Year of the Snake Gold Bullion Coins will go on sale September 3, 2012 at The Perth Mint, www.perthmintbullion.com, and will also be available through coin and precious metal dealers worldwide.
The table below lists the maximum mintages plus coin specifications for each of the gold bullion coins.
Specifications for 2013 Year of the Snake Gold Bullion Coins
| Size | Maximum Mintage | Troy Oz. | Face Value (AUD) | Diameter (mm) |
| 10 Kilo | 100 | 321.507 | $30,000 | 180.60 |
| 1 Kilo | unlimited | 32.151 | $3,000 | 100.60 |
| 10 Ounce | unlimited | 10 | $1,000 | 75.60 |
| 2 Ounce | unlimited | 2 | $200 | 41.10 |
| 1 Ounce | 30,000 | 1 | $100 | 39.34 |
| 1/2 Ounce | unlimited | 0.5 | $50 | 30.60 |
| 1/4 Ounce | unlimited | 0.25 | $25 | 22.60 |
| 1/10 Ounce | unlimited | 0.1 | $15 | 18.60 |
| 1/20 Ounce | unlimited | 0.05 | $5 | 14.80 |
2013 Year of the Snake Gold Bullion Coins will be packaged in protective acrylic capsules.
Check this site’s Australian coin page for other product highlights from The Perth Mint.
